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AI-Generated Fake News Pages Causing “Irreversible” Damage to Celebrities
Artificial intelligence technology is enabling malicious actors to create convincingly realistic fake news about celebrities, causing what experts describe as “irreversible reputational and emotional damage” to public figures and their families.
An investigation has uncovered dozens of social media pages, primarily on Facebook, using AI to generate false images of well-known celebrities alongside fabricated stories about deaths, serious illnesses, pregnancies, and relationship announcements.
Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden became a recent target when fake posts claiming one of his children had died and another was battling cancer circulated widely on social media. The posts included AI-generated images showing Foden in tears, giving the false stories an air of authenticity.
Rebecca Cooke, the mother of Foden’s children, spoke out against the cruel posts. “We are aware of the pages and accounts spreading these stories,” she said. “They are completely false and very disturbing. I don’t understand how people can make up these things up about anyone, especially children. It’s sickening.”
Foden has reportedly sought legal advice as the fake stories continued to spread.
The Manchester Evening News investigation found that these pages frequently use phrases like “verified information” and “just confirmed” to lend credibility to their fabricated content. Some of the pages have amassed tens of thousands of followers, with individual posts receiving thousands of likes, shares, and comments from unsuspecting users.
One such page, UK Celeb Update, which has 42,000 followers, posted an AI-generated image of a popular TV presenter with a bald head alongside the caption “Final Days of a Beloved Icon.” The post falsely claimed she was “bravely battling breast cancer” and in the “heartbreaking final chapters of her life.” This single fabrication received over 7,000 likes and more than 1,700 comments from legitimate profiles offering well-wishes.
Another page, The British A-List, with 26,000 followers, shared an AI image of a TV couple holding a baby scan, announcing “the biggest secret of their lives” – despite no such pregnancy being confirmed by the couple.
Hannah O’Donoghue-Hobbs, founder of social media consultancy January 92, explained why these fake posts are particularly dangerous: “They’re deliberately designed to look credible, using AI-generated imagery, recognizable faces, emotionally charged language and vague ‘breaking news’ framing, to stop people scrolling and trigger an instinctive reaction before critical thinking kicks in.”
She added that once these posts gain traction, “the damage is effectively irreversible, even when they’re later removed or debunked, the original narrative often travels much further than the correction.”
James Bore, a Chartered Security Professional, placed significant blame on the platforms themselves. “Meta isn’t only taking no visible action on mis- and disinformation, their approach actively promotes and encourages it. The algorithm is built to prioritize engagement, not veracity.”
He warned that with AI now able to generate disinformation at an unprecedented scale with minimal human effort, “we are only going to see the trend continue.”
Meta, Facebook’s parent company, says it is “committed to fighting the spread of false information” and is making changes to how digitally-altered media is handled. The company claims to be adding “AI info” labels to content when it detects industry standard AI image indicators or when users confirm they’re uploading AI-generated material.
The platform also stated that pages repeatedly sharing false information would see their “distribution reduced,” though many of the pages identified in the investigation have been posting regularly for months without apparent consequence.
As AI technology continues to advance, the challenge of distinguishing fact from fiction online is becoming increasingly difficult. The emotional and reputational toll on the individuals targeted by these fake stories highlights the urgent need for more effective detection and moderation systems across social media platforms.
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9 Comments
The impact on celebrities and their children must be devastating. Fabricating stories about deaths and illnesses is cruel and unacceptable. Social media platforms need to crack down on these AI-generated fake news pages to prevent further damage. Fact-checking and content moderation have to improve to stop the spread of these lies.
This is a deeply concerning issue that speaks to the broader problem of online misinformation. The use of AI to create fake news about vulnerable individuals like children is a new low. Stronger regulations and content moderation are needed to protect people from this kind of malicious activity.
This is a sad reflection of the darker side of technology. While AI can be a powerful tool, it is clearly being misused to create false narratives that hurt innocent people. I hope the authorities can investigate these cases thoroughly and hold the perpetrators accountable. The mental health toll on the victims must be immense.
The spread of AI-generated fake news about celebrity children is truly sickening. It’s a violation of privacy and an abuse of technology. These fabricated stories can cause irreparable damage to reputations and mental well-being. Social media platforms must do more to prevent the distribution of this type of harmful content.
The fact that AI technology is being exploited to create fake news about celebrity children is truly disturbing. This kind of malicious content not only violates privacy but also causes immense emotional harm. Social media platforms and policymakers need to take urgent action to prevent the spread of this type of disinformation.
This is a deeply concerning trend that highlights the potential for technology to be misused in harmful ways. The creation of fake news about celebrity children using AI is a gross violation of privacy and a cause of immense emotional distress. Stricter regulations and better content moderation are needed to prevent the spread of this type of malicious content.
Generating fake news about celebrities’ children is a new low. These are vulnerable individuals who do not deserve to be targeted in this way. The emotional distress caused by these AI-powered lies is unacceptable. Social media companies need to take stronger action to identify and remove this type of malicious content.
This is a disturbing development. The use of AI to create fake news about celebrities and their families is a serious breach of ethics and privacy. Spreading lies and misinformation in this way causes real harm and trauma. Something needs to be done to address this issue and protect people from such malicious attacks.
This is a disturbing trend that highlights the potential for misuse of AI technology. Celebrities and their families should not have to deal with the trauma of fabricated stories about their loved ones. I hope the authorities can find ways to better protect people from this kind of disinformation in the future.